The Taipei City Government yesterday unveiled a large-scale urban renewal project at Grand Green, a long-abandoned area north of Beiping E Road, turning the old building and train station into an open exhibition as part of its plan to improve the city’s landscape.
The “Taipei Extra-Ordinary” exhibition, which will open to the public on Sept. 3, was a collaboration between the city’s Urban Redevelopment Office and the Urban Regeneration Station (URS), a civic group dedicated to urban renewal and art.
A total of 14 artist and cultural groups decorated the abandoned train station and building with -elements commonly seen in Taipei to portray daily life in the city, turning different sections in the grounds into a kitchen, coffee shop, bike shop and grocery store.
Addressing the exhibition launch ceremony yesterday, Taipei Mayor Hau Lung-bin (郝龍斌) said it showcased the city government’s efforts to beautify the city’s landscape and how new life had been breathed into old and abandoned areas.
“Urban renewal is not only about tearing down buildings. Revitalizing old areas and giving new life to abandoned buildings are also crucial as we try to make the city better,” he said.
Exhibition curator Chiu Wen-chieh (邱文傑) said the spirit of the project was to promote the chaotic yet charming culture aesthetic of Taipei that is often hidden in the city’s alleys.
“Taipei is a city full of energy and we are hoping to show local residents and foreign visitors what living in Taipei feels like and the charm of its grassroots culture through the exhibition,” he said.
The exhibition will run from Sept. 3 to Nov. 23. Prior to the exhibition, the organizers will show two Taiwanese films —Au Revoir Taipei (一頁台北) and Taipei Exchanges (第36個故事) — at 7pm at Grand Green today and tomorrow respectively.
For more information on the exhibition and related activities, visit the Web site at www.urstaipei.net.
FAST TRACK? Chinese spouses must renounce their Chinese citizenship and pledge allegiance to Taiwan to gain citizenship, some demonstrators said Opponents and supporters of a bill that would allow Chinese spouses to obtain Taiwanese citizenship in four years instead of six staged protests near the Legislative Yuan in Taipei yesterday morning. Those who oppose the bill proposed by the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) demanded that Chinese spouses be granted citizenship only after renouncing their Chinese citizenship, passing a citizenship test and pledging allegiance to Taiwan. The demonstrators, who were protesting at a side entrance to the Legislative Yuan on Jinan Road, were mostly members of the Taiwan Association of University Professors and other organizations advocating Taiwanese independence. Supporters of the bill, led
SILENT MAJORITY: Only 1 percent of Chinese rejected all options but war to annex Taiwan, while one-third viewed war as unacceptable, a university study showed Many Chinese are more concerned with developments inside their country than with seeking unification with Taiwan, al-Jazeera reported on Friday. Although China claims Taiwan as its own territory and has vowed to annex it, by force if necessary, 23-year-old Chinese Shao Hongtian was quoted by al-Jazeera as saying that “hostilities are not the way to bring China and Taiwan together.” “I want unification to happen peacefully,” Shao said. Al-Jazeera said it changed Shao’s name to respect his wish for anonymity. If peaceful unification is not possible, Shao said he would prefer “things to remain as they are,” adding that many of his friends feel
Taiwan has “absolute air superiority” over China in its own airspace, Deputy Minister of National Defense Po Horng-huei (柏鴻輝) told a meeting of the legislature’s Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee on Monday, amid concern over whether Taipei could defend itself against a military incursion by Beijing. Po made the remarks in response to a question from Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Chiu Chih-wei (邱志偉) on whether Taiwan would have partial or complete air superiority if Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) warplanes were to enter Taiwan’s airspace. Po, a retired pilot, said that the Taiwanese military has “absolute air superiority” over PLA
A shipment of basil pesto imported by Costco Wholesale Taiwan from the US in the middle of last month was intercepted at the border after testing positive for excessive pesticide residue, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said yesterday. Samples taken from a shipment of the Kirkland Signature brand of basil pesto imported by Costco contained 0.1 milligrams per kilogram of ethylene oxide, exceeding the non-detectable limit. Ethylene oxide is a carcinogenic substance that can be used as a pesticide. The 674kg shipment of basil pesto would either be destroyed or returned to its country of origin, as is the procedure for all